Working Man's Classic
2012
Matt, Tim and myself started the first night of the Working Man’s Classic with the goal of making sure we were in any major breakaway and trying to get as many primes as possible. The race started out aggressive as there was a prime every lap but it also seemed to keep groups from working well together and nothing got any major gap. Tim and Matt rode aggressively, making it into all the breakaways that looked dangerous and winning plenty of primes along the way. Tim made it into a breakaway with two others that was able to build a substantial gap on the field but ended up being reeled in by the field after several laps. Coming into the final laps of the race Matt was able to get himself up to the front of the field and begin to position for the sprint. With one lap to go it was pretty unorganized and none of the other teams were able to set up a real lead-out for the sprinters as everyone was fighting for position. Matt was riding at the front but got a little boxed in on the right side of the road coming into the last corner. I moved up on the outside and came into the corner in sixth wheel with one rider over shooting the corner and riding into the grass, I was able to come around one guy but wasn’t able to catch the top 3 guys and finished 4th. Matt also finished top 10 in 8th place setting us up well for the overall.
On day two the plan was about the same with trying to make breakaways but a little more conservative because Matt and myself were top 10 in the overall. Tim and Matt rode awesomely and nothing got away without either of them in it. The course was a little more difficult and slower than the day before but the field remained pretty much intact. Matt attacked solo for a few laps picking up extra primes and Tim also won some prime laps off the front but the field reeled everything back in by the end and coming into the final few laps it looked like another sprint. I tried to move up coming into the last lap and got to about 7th wheel on the final straight away. Unfortunately I made the mistake of freewheeling through the last corner while the more experienced guys who have raced this course over and over cranked through it and gapped me off. I put my head down and pulled as hard as I could to the finish finishing in 8th. Matt finished close behind at 10th.
Day three was supposed to be the most difficult of the series with the same hill from day one, but a sharp right-hander thrown in which forced riders to brake. Tim attacked from the gun to win the first prime and drilled it up the hill into the tight corner. A few laps later it was all together and all of us positioned ourselves near the front to avoid yo-yo effect at the back. Tim and Matt rode aggressively again picking up most of the primes early in the race. The course started to take its toll on the race and riders were going off the back thinning out the field. A little over halfway through the race a break of four riders including Keck Baker from the Cisco/XO team, who we had noted as one to watch as well as former Mountain Khakis professional Mike Stoop rolled off the front and the field didn’t react. The gap immediately grew to more than thirty seconds, Tim and Matt went to the front of the field and set a hard tempo to try and bring the breakaway’s advantage down stretching out the field behind the and sending more riders off the back. Coming into the closing laps the break was clearly going to stick and it was a sprint for 5th place. Matt and I were able to position ourselves close to the front but the rider in front of me took the hard right-hander too fast and lost it in front of the two of us. I tried to get back up to the front but could not and just rolled in. Matt was able to make it up to the front but had also wasted a lot of energy from having to chase back on. Although our third race didn’t go as well for us with the missed breakaway and some bad luck in the sprint, we still were able to walk away with some primes and 7th overall. The Working Man’s Classic was an awesome event and I look forward to going back next year.
Matt, Tim and myself started the first night of the Working Man’s Classic with the goal of making sure we were in any major breakaway and trying to get as many primes as possible. The race started out aggressive as there was a prime every lap but it also seemed to keep groups from working well together and nothing got any major gap. Tim and Matt rode aggressively, making it into all the breakaways that looked dangerous and winning plenty of primes along the way. Tim made it into a breakaway with two others that was able to build a substantial gap on the field but ended up being reeled in by the field after several laps. Coming into the final laps of the race Matt was able to get himself up to the front of the field and begin to position for the sprint. With one lap to go it was pretty unorganized and none of the other teams were able to set up a real lead-out for the sprinters as everyone was fighting for position. Matt was riding at the front but got a little boxed in on the right side of the road coming into the last corner. I moved up on the outside and came into the corner in sixth wheel with one rider over shooting the corner and riding into the grass, I was able to come around one guy but wasn’t able to catch the top 3 guys and finished 4th. Matt also finished top 10 in 8th place setting us up well for the overall.
On day two the plan was about the same with trying to make breakaways but a little more conservative because Matt and myself were top 10 in the overall. Tim and Matt rode awesomely and nothing got away without either of them in it. The course was a little more difficult and slower than the day before but the field remained pretty much intact. Matt attacked solo for a few laps picking up extra primes and Tim also won some prime laps off the front but the field reeled everything back in by the end and coming into the final few laps it looked like another sprint. I tried to move up coming into the last lap and got to about 7th wheel on the final straight away. Unfortunately I made the mistake of freewheeling through the last corner while the more experienced guys who have raced this course over and over cranked through it and gapped me off. I put my head down and pulled as hard as I could to the finish finishing in 8th. Matt finished close behind at 10th.
Day three was supposed to be the most difficult of the series with the same hill from day one, but a sharp right-hander thrown in which forced riders to brake. Tim attacked from the gun to win the first prime and drilled it up the hill into the tight corner. A few laps later it was all together and all of us positioned ourselves near the front to avoid yo-yo effect at the back. Tim and Matt rode aggressively again picking up most of the primes early in the race. The course started to take its toll on the race and riders were going off the back thinning out the field. A little over halfway through the race a break of four riders including Keck Baker from the Cisco/XO team, who we had noted as one to watch as well as former Mountain Khakis professional Mike Stoop rolled off the front and the field didn’t react. The gap immediately grew to more than thirty seconds, Tim and Matt went to the front of the field and set a hard tempo to try and bring the breakaway’s advantage down stretching out the field behind the and sending more riders off the back. Coming into the closing laps the break was clearly going to stick and it was a sprint for 5th place. Matt and I were able to position ourselves close to the front but the rider in front of me took the hard right-hander too fast and lost it in front of the two of us. I tried to get back up to the front but could not and just rolled in. Matt was able to make it up to the front but had also wasted a lot of energy from having to chase back on. Although our third race didn’t go as well for us with the missed breakaway and some bad luck in the sprint, we still were able to walk away with some primes and 7th overall. The Working Man’s Classic was an awesome event and I look forward to going back next year.
Thanks again to our generous sponsors: EarthFare, Industry
Nine, Specialized/Cycle Sport Concepts, Highland Brewing, Mamacita’s, Blue Sky
M.D., DNA Cycling, Carbo Rocket, DeFeet, HD Coaching, Omnium Bodyworks, Peak 10,
and ABRC (check them all out on our Facebook page!).
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